by Keiyana McIntosh on May 24, 2023
As a kid, you’re taught that getting a degree, finding a well-paid career, and starting a family is the way to the American Dream. However, what happens once you have achieved this said dream, yet still are unfulfilled?
I got a chance to sit with entrepreneur and transformative speaker, Britney Jones. Britney has a Master of Business Administration in Human Resource Management and an undergraduate degree in Mass Communications. She went on to build a successful career in corporate, becoming a homeowner, and finding love. Though Britney found herself checking off the list of the American Dream, she still had a void where fulfillment should have been.
Britney realized that though she excelled in her talents, her spiritual gifts were being neglected. She knew that God was pressing on her heart for greater things, but was not sure of the assignment. Instead of ignoring God’s voice, she drew near, receiving in return the vision for her women empowerment foundation, Best Friend in Faith! Best Friend in Faith (BFF), is a community curated for women to create a sisterhood built on the pillars of faith, business, and divine purpose.
Our encounter was inspiring and encouraging from beginning to end, but don’t take my word for it, see for yourself!
Keiyana: At what point in your corporate career did you realize it was time to break out into entrepreneurship?
Britney: Though I still love my job, I began feeling underutilized and undervalued. You can be good at what you do and not be internally satisfied. At some point, you realize that something more is pulling on you. When you feel a calling on your name, you desire to be obedient and answer. That is when I realized something greater was pulling on me that required me to do more. It took me a while to figure it out, but I am finally there.
Keiyana: Last month, you held an official launch event for your women empowerment foundation, Best Friend in Faith. Tell us more about the experience of that day and your mission.
Britney: Honestly, I am still full from that day. I am still in awe. God gave me the vision three years ago, but I did not move due to fear. Before Best Friend in Faith, I had a successful business for three years, but then life happened and I allowed it to fail. I was afraid to try again because I was worried that people would not receive it.
However, it created a moment where I had to ask myself, “Who am I uninterrupted? Who am I when I do not have to worry about logging on at eight o'clock in the morning for work, being a wife to a minister, or worrying about the church and that perspective?" Once I had that time to sort everything out, Best Friend in Faith came about. And it was more of just understanding the woman God created me to be when I was in my mother's womb.
The event addressed becoming the woman that you needed as a little girl. It’s those moments as a girl that sow and shape you into the woman you are today. However, because we don't deal with it, we end up carrying things that aren't who God initially destined us to be. Rather it’s who we've just evolved into. The event, myself, and Best Friend in Faith are all about reflection. I'm not trying to revisit the pain per se, but I do want to revisit the seed that planted the pain. If we can deal with that seed, we can become our best version. And I'm a firm believer in that.
Keiyana: While your goal is to help other women transform and evolve spiritually, mentally, emotionally, and physically, in what areas have you evolved for you to become the woman you are today?
Britney: I was the girl that got you into all the VIP sections in every club. I knew all the hottest spots in Houston and Atlanta (when I lived there). I had to evolve by taking a seat back and knowing when to have fun. I had to realize that the calling on my life was greater than me, which took being in my prayer closet a bit more.
It took changing my language and what I allowed in my life. I had to step back and evaluate the situations I was placing myself in whether voluntarily or involuntarily. At the end of the day, it all comes down to whether I am drawing others to Christ. Because if we're not serving God what are we doing here? If I am leading you in the opposite direction of Christ then there's work to be done within myself. It was shape-shifting my mindset and understanding that to become I have to first transform. And to transform, I have to cultivate. I had to learn to get out of my way.
Keiyana: How has working in your gifts impacted you and others?
Britney: Working in my gifts has simply shown me that I CAN. I’ve been blessed to showcase my talents in a few areas regarding music, media, and ghostwriting, but those were things I was just good at. I wanted to find out what God saw in me in my mama's womb. What was it that He called me to do as His daughter? Over time, I've realized that my gifts have influenced the purpose of those that are around me. I've realized my purpose is to help you tap into yours.
I help others identify their struggles because I know what it looks like to have multiple gifts and still feel unfulfilled. If I can plant the seed in others of being more intentional in seeking their why I have done my job. With my role in BFF, we're on this journey together because it doesn't stop with me planting the seed, now we got to watch the seed grow.
So whatever tools and tips that we need to make ourselves better, that's what I'm here for. Most tools that I use are spiritual and practical resources. I believe God has equipped His people to provide each other with the tools we need to be successful in His Kingdom, which starts with His word first.
Keiyana: Oftentimes, the thought of giving up crosses an entrepreneur's mind. What motivates you to keep going on those tough days?
Britney: Being intentional about breaking generational curses and acknowledging that it stops with me is what keeps me motivated. I have had to fight generational curses of not seeing things through. As mentioned earlier, I started a business in 2015. It was a chemical-free nail polish line called Evo Cosmetics, which I started in honor of my now-deceased aunt that battled breast cancer. During remission, the nail polish used to eat away at her nail bed. Being a problem-solver, I saw a need and met it. This was the beginning of my entrepreneurial journey.
However, as the business became successful, my former relationship began going downhill. I allowed my personal life to interfere with my success and eventually let the business go. When I decided to embark upon Best Friend in Faith, I was reminded that my assignment was bigger than me. Therefore, breaking generational curses became a priority. Many of my family members have started businesses and did not see it through, or they started school and did not graduate.
Most of my female cousins were pregnant in their freshman year of college and dropped out. Though it is nothing against them, I knew it was a generational curse that had to be broken. Once I received my degree, a few younger cousins told me they looked up to me. Now I have cousins coming behind me that are interested in college and about to get their masters. So that’s been my motivation on my journey. I have to change the narrative of what it looks like to be a black woman in America. So here I am going for it again. I want to show people that you can fail at something, get back up, and succeed still in God’s timing.
Keiyana: You already wear so many hats, but the most recent one added is being a wife. Congratulations! How has the transition from singleness to marriage been for you?
Britney: There hasn’t been a big difference between the two. Honesty, I married my best friend. I've known my husband since I was 12. We were friends. It’s crazy because God told me when I was 22 that I already knew my husband. I started going down the list of men I knew and nothing clicked. Like Lord, what are you talking about?
After dating my ex for six years, my husband had been in my DM’s for about a year. I brushed him off because I didn't want to ruin the friendship. We finally went on a date, and the Holy Spirit had us in that restaurant like, “Okay, this is it.” Regarding him and I, I do not see a difference going from singleness to marriage. The transition comes from outside factors. For instance, I had to leave the church that I had known my whole life to get familiar with his church home and the flow of worship. Another would be the transitions of how we celebrate holidays because my family is on the east coast, and I don't have family here in Houston. Therefore, I would say the biggest transition has been changing my perspective from 'I' to ‘we’.
Keiyana: In what ways has your relationship with God carried you through life’s challenges?
Britney: I didn't know God as I know Him now. I had to learn Him for myself. You grow up first learning about God through your parents. Then in college, you learn a little bit more. However, it's when you become an adult and life gets real that you truly learn God for yourself. Without knowing Him I would be lost. And I was lost for a long time. For a while, I struggled with depression, and I didn't know how to go to Him as I do now as a friend and a father. Once I realized that, life’s challenges didn't affect me the same because I knew I was His daughter.
Keiyana: In honor of Mental Health Awareness, what ways have helped you maintain a healthy mentality?
Britney: I have a shirt that is titled Jesus, Fashion, and Therapy, and those three things have been my outlet. Especially in 2020 because that's when I lost my beloved aunt, the pandemic hit, and I started dating my husband. It was through therapy that I learned that I did not do well with separation.
My therapist challenged me to find an outlet, so fashion was my way of dealing with things I was going through. I also manage my mental health by reading the word and fasting from social media often. I try to have moments where I decompress, whether it be a date night with my husband or binge-watching something on Netflix. I would encourage those dealing with mental health to take a moment to stop, pause, and reflect. Take the time to understand what you’re dealing with and why you’re responding the way you do.
Keiyana: What advice would you give the next entrepreneur at heart just starting?
Britney: First, go to God about it. Then figure out your why, and know the purpose behind the why and why you're doing it. Make sure that it is in alignment with what God has for you and not just another fad or trend that society says we should do and pray about it. Know that with any success comes more negativity, distraction, and newfound enemies, and they come out of nowhere. So stay prayed up, and God will give you the strength to endure. When you know your why you're not easily distracted, and you're able to live life uninterrupted.
Keiyana: As we close, tell our readers where they can find me on social media and what to expect from me this year.
Britney: I am on all social media at Britney Turner Jones. This June, Best Friend in Faith will have an official informational for membership, which will be open to everyone virtually and in person. I also have a speaking engagement on June 24th in Dallas, Texas, where I am speaking on transformation for Tabatha's Tea Party, and another speaking engagement in August. God is opening doors! Again, when you say yes and obey God’s instruction, He will create the platform for you. I also hope to introduce myself to motherhood this year. That is my whole-hearted sincere prayer. Lastly, I plan to take Best Friend in Faith to another level. We have confirmed our brunch, set for April 27th, 2024, following a retreat next July.
On behalf of Foundation First, we want to thank Britney Jones for sharing her inspiring testimony!
Stay connected with Britney by clicking the links below.
Linktree: BritneyTurner
Instagram: @britneyturnerjones and @bestfriendinfaith
YouTube: Best Friend in Faith